Wire Hitting The Fan Archive Sorry Tribe Fans, Youkilis is Not the Answer
Written by Thomas Moore

2012 06 kevin youkilisWith rumors circulating that the Boston Red Sox could be ready to trade third base man Kevin Youkilis "at any time," some Cleveland Indians fans are getting excited that the Tribe might make a move.

The excitement seems to center around two factors: that Youkilis bats from the right side and he's not Johnny Damon. And while Damon is most likely not the answer in left field, bringing Youkils on board isn't going to help the team either.

Consider these stats for the month of June:

  • Damon is hitting .273 with two home runs, eight RBI and an .815 OPS in 44 at bats
  • Youkilis is hitting .174 with no home runs, one RBI and a .557 OPS in 46 at bats

How is that an upgrade?

Even with Damon's horrible start to the season, the numbers for the two players are still similar:

  • Damon is at .206 with three home runs, 13 RBI and a .621 OPS
  • Youkalis is at .225 with four home runs, 13 RBI and a .670 OPS

And while it's not exactly a treat watching Damon play left field every night, Youkalis is not a Gold Glove by any means.

So why would the Indians want to acquire a right-handed version of a player they already have on the roster? Remember, just because you have heard of a player doesn't mean they are still any good. For all the production that Youkilis would give them, the Indians may as well just bring Matt LaPorta back up from Columbus.

Let the White Sox or some other team take a gamble on Youkalis, this is one move the Indians don't need to make.

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